3 min read

76ers forward Tobias Harris drives to the basket as Heat guard Tyler Herro defends during Miami’s 106-92 win in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Monday in Miami. Marta Lavandier/Associated Press

MIAMI — Tyler Herro scored 25 points, Bam Adebayo finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds, and the Miami Heat topped the shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers 106-92 on Monday night in the opener of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Jimmy Butler added 15 points for the top-seeded Heat, who got 10 from Gabe Vincent and P.J. Tucker.

The 76ers were without Joel Embiid, the MVP finalist who isn’t even in Miami while recovering from an orbital fracture and concussion – injuries suffered in Philadelphia’s first-round-clinching win at Toronto. He’s not expected to play in Game 2.

And as would be expected, he was missed. Tobias Harris scored 27 points for Philadelphia, which got 19 from Tyrese Maxey and 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists from James Harden.

Game 2 is Wednesday in Miami.

Advertisement

Miami came out as aggressive as could be, putting Tucker on Harden and having him guard him the entire 94 feet of the floor in a similar approach to what the Heat utilized against Atlanta’s Trae Young in the first round series.

It worked – for a while. Miami led by as many as 12 in the opening quarter, then a 10-2 run fueled by eight points from Herro gave the Heat a 13-point edge at 37-24 to mark their biggest of the half. The margin was still 46-36 midway through the second after another Herro basket.

The rest of the half was all Philly.

Miami went 1 for 9 from the field over the final 6 minutes of the half, with four turnovers in there as well, and Philadelphia went on a 15-4 spurt. Harden’s shot in the lane with 28 seconds left put the 76ers up 51-50, their first lead of the night and the score that they took into the locker room.

The 76ers scored the first four points of the second half, going up by five. That was as good as it got for the 76ers.

Adebayo took a bullet pass from Tucker for a dunk that put Miami up 62-61, and that would be the final lead change of the night. It was the start of a 10-0 run that built a cushion, and then an 13-2 run early in the fourth decided matters and pushed the Heat edge out to 98-77.

Advertisement

NOTES

WARRIORS: Draymond Green didn’t believe he did anything wrong when his hand got caught up in a Grizzlies player’s jersey during Sunday’s game which resulted in him being ejected. But the league sided with the referees anyway.

The NBA will not reduce or rescind the Flagrant 2 foul assessed to Green in the first half of Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals, league sources confirmed Monday morning.

Green was called for a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected late in the second quarter after it appeared he pulled on the collar of Brandon Clarke as he went for a basket, dragging the Grizzlies forward to the ground. In a pool report after the game, crew chief Kane Fitzgerald told Damichael Cole of The Commercial Appeal that the contact “was considered unnecessary and excessive,” adding that Green made “significant contact” to Clarke’s face.

Comments are no longer available on this story